If lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease and social ostracism aren't enough, here's another good reason to stop smoking: a new study links smoking to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The study, published in the journal Neurology, says that smoking alters the cells of arteries much the same way that metal rusts.
"Smoking increases the risk of stroke, which is also tied to dementia," said a researcher. Certain groups of smokers over the age of 55 were 50 percent more likely to develop dementia and 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer's than nonsmokers. (More dementia stories.)